The effect of dietary copper deficiency on plasma lipoprotein profiles in male and female hamsters

Abstract

Studies were conducted to determine the conditions in which alterations in cholesterol and lipoprotein metabolism can be induced by copper deficiency in male and female hamsters. Three week old animals were placed on either a copper-deficient or copper-adequate diet. The hematocrit and hepatic copper content were significantly reduced in the treatment animals, and the plasma volume was enlarged. These changes, however, were small in comparison to the findings of previous studies using copper-deficient rats. The hamsters, therefore, appeared to be only marginally deficient. There was no treatment effect on the composition of the lipoprotein fractions, except for decreases in HDL protein concentration and pool size in the plasma of females fed the copper-deficient diet. It was concluded that the copper status of the treatment animals was not sufficiently diminished to affect lipoprotein profiles and plasma cholesterol, and that dietary treatment should begin earlier than the third week of age.